Tendam and UDIT’s Groundbreaking Study on Fashion E-commerce’s Carbon Footprint

Tendam, a fashion group, and the University of Design, Innovation and Technology (UDIT) have released a pioneering study, “Consumer Carbon Footprint of Fashion E-Commerce,” which provides new insights into the environmental impact of online shopping in the fashion sector. The research, led by Tendam’s Sustainability Lab, uses life-cycle analysis and multi-criteria environmental evaluation to assess emissions generated throughout the online purchasing process, including delivery and returns. The study compares home delivery, click-and-collect, and traditional in-store shopping models, revealing that Tendam’s omnichannel model generates up to 7.5 times fewer emissions per order than pure digital players, with an average footprint of around 400g CO₂ per order. This is attributed to Tendam’s physical retail network, proximity to customers, and consolidated logistics.